12 May:
Three destroyers of Desdiv 15 (KUROSHIO, OYASHIO, HAYASHIO) which had departed Manila morning of 10 May joined SHOKAKU and YUGURE east of the Philippines. SAZANAMI released (Arrived at Saipan afternoon of 14 May.)
17 May:
1830: Arrived at Kure with the three destroyers of Desdiv 15 and SHOKAKU. Underwent maintenance and repairs. Subsequently training and cruising in Inland Sea. (Edit-2)
29 May:
0600: Departed Tokuyama to join Main Body of the attempt to capture Midway Island.
4-5 June: Battle of Midway
Desdiv 27 escorted Admiral Takasu's Aleutians Guard Force.
8 June:
Desdiv 27 re-assigned with other units from the Aleutians Guard Force to join the Northern Naval Force.
9 June:
Desdiv 27 after refueling proceeded to meet Second Kido Butai (Cardiv 4).
17 June:
Desdiv 27 with Desdiv 20 returned to Yokosuka.
14 July:
Desdiv 27 reassigned to Desron 4, Second Fleet.
11-17 August:
Desdiv 27 escorted Second Fleet from Yokosuka to Truk. Desdiv 27 then temporarily attached to Fourth Fleet for strengthening of positions in Gilbert Islands-area.
18-30 August:
Departed Truk for Jaluit, then on 22-23 August bombarded and on 26 August occupied Ocean Island with ship's landing party (relieved by garrison unit on 1 September).Then steamed from Jaluit to the Shortlands.
2 September:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal: With KAGERO, landed about 150 men and supplies at Taivu.
5 September:
Troop transport run to Guadalcanal: With FUBUKI, SHIRAYUKI, AMAGIRI, and KAGERO, landed 370 men plus food and ammunition at Taivu.
8 September:
Attack mission to Guadalcanal: In response to enemy landings at Taivu, SENDAI and 8 destroyers sortied from Shortlands to attack, but succeeded only in sinking YP-346 around 2240 off Tulagi.
September-October:
Attached to Cardiv 11 (seaplane carriers) for transport and escort duties; completed seven missions between Shortlands and Rekata.

12 October:With YURA, Desdiv 27 (minus ARIAKE) out of Shortlands to assume escort of returning NISSHIN and CHITOSE following the Battle of Cape Esperance.

Action:
- 1400 Departed Yokosuka with ARIAKE escorting carrier HIYO flagship of Comcardiv 2.
- 1852 HIYO struck by two torpedoes fired by USS TRIGGER (SS-237) in position bearing 64 degrees 17 miles from Miyake Island. The carrier went dead in the water. Commenced depth-charging and suppression of the submarine.
- 1937 While YUGURE was closing HIYO was mistaken in the darkness for the submarine and fired upon by the carrier. Two men are killed and five wounded on the fantail while handling depth-charges, and the shield of No.3 turret is damaged.
- Remained on anti-submarine sweep guard duty with ARIAKE through the night.
11 June:
Assisted HIYO and escorted ISUZU guarding the carrier back to Yokosuka.
12 June:
1030: YUGURE and ARIAKE arrived back at Yokosuka.
16-21 June:
1100: With ARIAKE as part of larger fleet deployment, Desdiv 27 (minus SHIRATSUYU) departed Yokosuka and escorted RYUHO to Truk.

9-10 July:Troop transport run to Kolombangara (cover): With YUKIKAZE, TANIKAZE and HAMAKAZE, guard force for reinforcement mission from Shortlands to Vila and back.
12 July: Battle of Kolombangara
Troop transport run to Kolombangara (cover). With YUKIKAZE, HAMAKAZE and KIYONAMI, contributed eight torpedoes to two spreads that sank USS GWIN (DD-433) and damaged USS HONOLULU (CL-48) and ST. LOUIS (CL-49).
16 July:
2200: Departed Rabaul as part of No.5 Transport Operation. It is hoped to destroy enemy surface units during the operation. (See 18 July)
17 July:
0900: While west of Buka Island, the operation is cancelled and postponed for one day.
1850: Returned to Rabaul.
18 July:
2150: Departed Rabaul as part of the "Night Battle Force" of four cruisers and four destroyers with three other destroyers serving as transports in No.6 Transport Operation. In this case the transport run is secondary; the heavy cruisers are coming along in hopes of ambushing and sinking the expected American cruiser forces that have repeatedly disrupted surface operations. The operation is under command of Rear Admiral Nishimura Shoji on SUZUYA. (Edit-3)
19 July:

Action:
- About ten minutes after midnight (JST) six TBFs armed with 2,000 pound bombs make a radar assisted night attack on the force from the southeast when it was northwest of Vella Lavella Island. The Japanese are taken by surprise but return AA fire is fierce.
- 0034 YUGURE then on the starboard flank of the formation is hit by a large bomb amidships and explodes and sinks immediately. Position north-northwest of Kolombangara (07-25 S, 156-45 E) At the same time the KUMANO receives a damaging hit in the starboard quarter but is able to proceed. (Edit-4)
- 0115 Force is attacked second time by enemy planes but are repelled with no further damage. The Japanese shot down two TBFs and two B-25s in the two pre-dawn engagements in turn. Attention is turned to the fate of YUGURE. Destroyer KIYONAMI returned to the scene of the disaster to try to rescue YUGURE's crew. Approximately twenty survivors are found and brought aboard. (Edit-5)
- 0209: KIYONAMI search is suspended. Headed to rejoin the force. However...
- 0520 (USAAF time - 0721) The KIYONAMI is attacked by eight B-25s looking for the cruiser reported crippled. Bomb hits exploded a magazine and KIYONAMI went under within two minutes taking down her crew and the rescued YUGURE men. (Edit-6)
- 0955 Japanese commands are alerted regarding YUGURE and KIYONAMI: "Personnel from our ships are adrift in the vicinity of position bearing 265 degrees 24 miles from Base Ko 3. Proceed at once to carry out search over a wide area in this vicinity and rescue these men.(You may temporarily unload any cargo)"
- 1108 Transport group and Night Battle Force rejoined. (Transport force had successfully landed about 300 men and munitions on Kolombangara)
- 1730: Night Battle Force returned to Rabaul. Japanese Army requested to continue search for survivors by barges.
- That day Desron 4 is abolished and Desdiv 27 (with YUGURE still nominally attached) is re-assigned to Desron 2, 2nd Fleet.

Postscript:
At 1854 on 30 July 1943 Comdesdiv 27 Captain Hara Tameichi reported: "At 0034, 20 July in vicinity of Choiseul YUGURE was bombed and sunk by enemy planes. It appears certain that the Captain, Commander Kamo Kiyoshi and all members of the crew were killed." Ten days had passed since the sinking and hopes were close to nil. Captain Hara's pessimism proved almost literally justified. Only five days later a single survivor of KIYONAMI is rescued. At 1300 6 August his spot report about KIYONAMI's fate was transmitted. (See KIYONAMI trom.) The final combined toll from the tragic fate of the two destroyers was apparently 468 officers and men lost, with only one survivor.